JP2012153117A - Mold, printing plate and method for manufacturing the same, method for forming functional film, inkjet head, and inkjet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing a printing plate that can uniformalize the projection height of an unevenness pattern on a surface.SOLUTION: The present invention includes: a step of forming the unevenness pattern, using photolithography technique, on an active layer 14a of an SOI substrate 14k having an SiObox layer 14b to make a mold 14; a step of applying a liquid form resin 13a onto an unevenness pattern surface of the mold 14; a step of sandwiching a layer of the liquid form resin 13a applied onto the unevenness pattern surface of the mold 14 to make the mold 14 press a glass substrate 52, and heating the resin while pressing to cure the liquid form resin 13a, resulting in making a cured resin layer 13; and a step of peeling off the mold 14 from the cured resin layer 13 to obtain the printing plate 50 on which the unevenness pattern is transferred and which is formed of the cured resin layer 13 and the glass substrate.

Description

  The present invention relates to a molding die, a printing plate used for microcontact printing produced using the molding die and a method for producing the same, a method for forming a functional film using the printing plate, an inkjet head, and an inkjet recording apparatus. It is about.

  As a technique for increasing the density of an inkjet head using a piezoelectric element, a technique using MEMS (micro electro mechanical system) is disclosed as disclosed in Patent Document 1 and the like. That is, by applying semiconductor device manufacturing technology and finely forming the actuator and the liquid flow path, the nozzle density can be increased, so that the head can be miniaturized and highly integrated.

  In an inkjet head employing such a MEMS technology, an electrode and a piezoelectric body formed by a thin film formation technique are patterned by photolithography on a vibration plate formed by a thin film technique, thereby forming an actuator. be able to.

  Regarding the formation of piezoelectric elements, for example, a technique for forming a piezoelectric element by applying a precursor of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) to a base material by an ink jet method and baking is already known. This method is advantageous in terms of the environment because the PZT precursor can be selectively applied to a desired region and the consumption of lead-containing PZT precursor can be suppressed.

  However, the ink jet method is a method of applying a liquid using a plurality of nozzles and non-contact means, and further, the pattern formation accuracy is several μm to several tens of tens depending on the positional variation of the relative movement means between the carriage on which the ink jet head is mounted and the substrate. Since a variation of about μm occurs, the shape of the piezoelectric element varies, which causes a problem in the electrical characteristics of the piezoelectric element.

  As a method for solving this problem, there is a technique for patterning a difference in surface energy consisting of a hydrophilic region and a water-repellent region on the surface of a substrate. One of the patterning methods is microcontact printing (hereinafter referred to as μCP). The technique of law is already known. This technology uses a PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) resin having a thickness of the order of millimeters to micrometers with a concavo-convex pattern on the order of nanometers to micrometers, and has water repellency (or hydrophilicity) as an ink. A high-resolution water-repellent (or hydrophilic) pattern is printed by a contact method using a solution (see Patent Documents 2 and 3).

  The process of the μCP method consists of a step of attaching a functional solution to the printing plate (inking step) and a step of transferring the functional solution attached to the printing plate to the substrate (transfer step). A printing apparatus (μCP apparatus) that performs the above is already known.

  However, the height of the convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern in the printing plate used in the conventional μCP method is not as intended, and it has been difficult to print uniformly in the target printing region.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems in the prior art, a molding die in which variation in the depth of the concave portion in the concave-convex pattern on the surface is suppressed, a method for producing a printing plate using the molding die, Printing plate obtained by the printing plate manufacturing method, functional film forming method using the printing plate, ink jet head manufactured by the functional film forming method, and ink jet recording using the ink jet head An object is to provide an apparatus.

  When the inventors investigated the cause of the above-described problem, the height of the convex portion of the concavo-convex pattern in the printing plate is as small as a micrometer order to a nanometer order, so the distortion or warpage of the printing plate, or The unevenness in the heights of the protrusions between the concavo-convex patterns placed on the entire surface of the printing plate affects the printability in the target printing area. It turns out that it is inhibiting. The printing plate is obtained by applying a liquid PDMS resin to a mold having a concavo-convex pattern and then curing it by heat treatment to transfer the concavo-convex pattern of the mold. Since a fine uneven pattern on the order of nanometers is transferred to the PDMS resin, variation in the depth of the recessed part of the uneven pattern of the mold during the manufacturing process of the printing plate is uneven between the uneven patterns in the printing plate. It was found that it affected the height variation of the part. Therefore, the inventor has intensively studied to solve the above problems based on the knowledge, and has reached the present invention.

That is, the present invention provided to solve the above problems is as follows. In addition, the site | part and code | symbol etc. which respond | correspond in the form for implementing this invention in a parenthesis are shown.
[1] A mold having a concavo-convex pattern on a surface used for manufacturing a printing plate for microcontact printing, and an SOI substrate (SOI substrate 14k) having a SiO ₂ layer as a box layer (SiO ₂ box layer 14b) A molding die (molding die 14, FIG. 1), wherein the concavo-convex pattern is formed on a silicon active layer (active layer 14 a) having a predetermined thickness by a photolithography technique.
[2] A method for producing a printing plate for use in microcontact printing, the step of applying a liquid resin (liquid resin 13a) to the concave / convex pattern forming surface of the mold according to [1] (FIG. 1). (2a)) and a layer of the liquid resin applied to the concavo-convex pattern surface of the mold, the support substrate (glass substrate 52) is pressed against the mold, and the liquid state is heated by heating in that state. The step of curing the resin to form a cured resin layer (cured resin layer 13) (FIGS. 1 (2b) and (2c)), the mold was peeled from the cured resin layer, and the uneven pattern was transferred. And a step of obtaining a printing plate (printing plate 50) comprising a cured resin layer and the support substrate (FIG. 1).
[3] The method for producing a printing plate as described in [2], wherein the support substrate has substantially the same thermal expansion coefficient as the molding die.
[4] The method for producing a printing plate as described in [2] or [3], wherein the support substrate is made of borosilicate glass or alumina silicate glass.
[5] The printing plate according to any one of [2] to [4], wherein the liquid resin is any one of a polydimethylsiloxane resin, a polymethyl methacrylate resin, and a polyurethane resin. Method.
[6] The method for producing a printing plate according to any one of [2] to [5], wherein a surface of the support substrate that is in contact with the liquid resin layer is surface-modified.
[7] A printing plate (printing plate 50, FIG. 1) manufactured by the printing plate manufacturing method according to any one of [2] to [6].
[8] An organic molecule-containing solution is applied to the concavo-convex pattern forming surface of the printing plate according to [7], the concavo-convex pattern surface is brought into contact with the printing surface, and an organic molecular film is formed on the printing surface. A first step (FIG. 2A) for forming a lyophilic portion (lyophilic region 302) having a predetermined pattern divided by the lyophobic portion (liquid repellent region 301), A second step (FIG. 2B) for selectively supplying a functional liquid (functional liquid 401) to the lyophilic part formed on the printing surface by using an ink jet method; and supplying the lyophilic part to the lyophilic part And forming a functional film having a third pattern (FIG. 2C) for forming a functional film (functional film 500) having a predetermined pattern by applying energy to the functional liquid. Method (Figure 2).
[9] A plurality of individual liquid chambers (individual liquid chambers 506) each having a droplet discharge hole (nozzle hole 505), which are partitioned by a partition wall (partition wall portion 503a), and the liquids in the plurality of individual liquid chambers. A vibration plate (vibration plate 540) provided on a different surface from the plate surface provided with the droplet discharge holes, and a position corresponding to each of the plurality of individual liquid chambers on the vibration plate, from the vibration plate side A plurality of piezoelectric elements (piezoelectric elements 501), which are laminated in the order of a lower electrode (lower electrode 500a) serving as a common electrode, a piezoelectric body (piezoelectric body 500b), and an upper electrode (upper electrode 500c) serving as individual electrodes; An ink jet head comprising: a common electrode wiring connected to an electrode; and an individual electrode wiring individually connected to an upper electrode of each of the plurality of piezoelectric elements to input a drive signal. An ink jet head (ink jet head 1, FIGS. 4 and 5), wherein at least one of the partial electrodes is formed by the method for forming a functional film described in [8] above.
[10] An ink jet recording apparatus (ink jet recording apparatus 90, FIG. 8, FIG. 9) comprising the ink jet head (ink jet head 1) according to [9].

According to the mold of the present invention, by comprising the concavo-convex pattern by SOI (Silicon on Insulator) photolithography silicon active layer having a predetermined thickness of the substrate of the SiO ₂ layer and the box layer is formed, SiO ₂ Since the etching reaction of the SOI substrate can be stopped in the layer, it is possible to suppress variation in the depth of the concave portion in the concave / convex pattern, and in turn, the convex portion in the concave / convex pattern of the printing plate manufactured by the mold. Variation in height can be suppressed, and printing quality using the printing plate can be improved. As a result, in the method for forming a functional film using the printing plate, the functional film can be formed with high accuracy, and an ink jet head having stable ejection performance can be obtained.
Further, according to the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, the ink jet head of the present invention is provided, and ink droplets are stably ejected from the droplet ejection holes of the ink jet head, so that a good image can be stably formed. As a result, manufacturing defects can be reduced and costs can be reduced.

It is a manufacturing-process figure of the shaping | molding die which concerns on this invention, and the printing plate. It is process drawing regarding the formation method of the functional film which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the printing apparatus used for the formation method of the functional film which concerns on this invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an inkjet head according to the present invention. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration in a width direction of an inkjet head according to the present invention. It is a manufacturing process figure of the piezoelectric element in the inkjet head of FIG. It is an external view of the liquid cartridge using the inkjet head of this invention. 1 is an external view of an ink jet recording apparatus that is an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the mechanism part of the inkjet recording device of FIG.

Below, the manufacturing method of the shaping | molding die and printing plate which concern on this invention is demonstrated.
FIG. 1 is a production process diagram showing a method for producing a forming die and a printing plate according to the present invention. Among these, FIG. 1 (1a)-(1c) is a manufacturing process regarding the shaping | molding die of this invention, and FIG. 1 (2a)-(2d) is a manufacturing process regarding the printing plate of this invention.

(Molding mold)
The mold 14 according to the present invention is a mold having a predetermined uneven pattern on the surface used for manufacturing a printing plate for microcontact printing, and has a predetermined thickness of an SOI substrate having a SiO ₂ layer as a box layer. The concavo-convex pattern is formed on the silicon active layer by a photolithography technique.
The manufacturing process of this shaping | molding die is demonstrated, referring FIG. 1 (1a)-(1c).

(S1a) Etching mask formation (FIG. 1 (1a))
The substrate 14k for forming the mold of the present invention is an SOI substrate composed of an active layer 14a made of silicon, an SiO ₂ box layer 14b, and an Si substrate 14c. In this step, a photoresist is applied, baked, and exposed on the surface of the active layer 14a, thereby forming an etching mask 17 having an opening (a white portion in the figure) having a predetermined pattern.
(S1b) Etching (FIG. 1 (1b))
Next, the substrate 14k is dry-etched through the opening of the etching mask 17, thereby forming an uneven pattern corresponding to the pattern of the opening of the etching mask 17 on the surface of the active layer 14a.
(S1c) Etching mask removal (FIG. 1 (1c))
After forming an uneven pattern on the active layer 14a, the mold 14 is obtained by peeling off the etching mask 17 made of photoresist.

As described above, since the etching reaction of the substrate 14k can be stopped in the SiO ₂ box layer 14b, the depth of the concave portion in the concavo-convex pattern is not affected by the etching width of the etching pattern, and the active layer The depth becomes constant corresponding to the thickness of 14a, and the variation is suppressed.

(Manufacturing method of printing plate)
Next, a specific manufacturing process of the printing plate will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 (2a) to (2d).
(S2a) Liquid resin application process (FIG. 1 (2a))
First, on the concavo-convex pattern forming surface (upper surface in the figure) of the mold 14 obtained as described above, the mold support member 12 is erected on the horizontal end, and then the fine concavo-convex pattern surface is filled. Thus, the liquid resin 13a is applied.

  Here, as the liquid resin 13a, any of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) resin, a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) resin, and a polyurethane (PU) resin can be used. PDMS resin is preferred from the viewpoint of releasability.

  In addition, the application method can be appropriately selected according to the physical properties and application area of the resin to be applied. Specifically, spin coating, bar coating, squeegee coating, slit coating, roll coating, blade coating, dispensing Various coating methods such as these can be used.

(S2b) Pressurization process (FIG. 1 (2b))
Next, from above the uncured liquid resin 13a, a glass substrate 52, which becomes a support substrate for the resin layer after curing, was bonded. As the support substrate for the printing plate in the present invention, a substrate having substantially the same thermal expansion coefficient as that of the mold 14 is preferably used. Here, the coefficient of thermal expansion is substantially the same, the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion being a slight difference to the extent that the molding die 14 is not damaged due to the expansion and contraction of the glass substrate 52 in the subsequent heating and cooling thermal cycles. And the difference in thermal expansion coefficient is within ± 0.8 × 10 ⁻⁶ K ⁻¹ in the temperature range of 20 to 200 ° C. In particular, in the present invention, in the printing apparatus to be described later, the function of adjusting the positions of the printing plate and the printing medium is given by irradiating transmitted light from above the printing plate, so that the viewpoint of optical characteristics As a material of the glass substrate 52, silicate glass is preferable, and borosilicate glass such as Pyrex (registered trademark of Corning) and Tempax (registered trademark of Schott), which are heat-resistant tempered glass, and SW glass substrate (manufactured by Asahi Glass Company) Alumina silicate glass such as

  The glass substrate 52 can be subjected to surface modification treatment in advance for the purpose of improving the adhesion with the resin after the liquid resin 13a such as PDMS resin is cured. Specifically, the surface modification treatment can be performed by irradiating the surface (contact surface) of the glass substrate 52 in contact with the layer of the liquid resin 13a with oxygen plasma or irradiating UV light.

  In this step, after the glass substrate 52 is bonded to the liquid resin 13a, the molding die 14 and the glass substrate 52 as a support substrate are liquidized using a pressure heating device (not shown) capable of controlling the load and temperature. Pressure is applied through the resin 13a.

(S2c) Curing step (FIG. 1 (2c))
Subsequently, the liquid state is obtained by heating the molding die 14 and the glass substrate 52 as the support substrate through the liquid resin 13a using the pressure heating apparatus under predetermined heating conditions. The resin 13a is completely cured to form a cured resin layer 13.

(S2d) Mold release step (FIG. 1 (2d))
After gradually cooling the mold 14, the glass substrate 52, and the cured resin layer 13, the cured resin layer 13 having a concavo-convex pattern on the surface and the glass are released by releasing the completely cured cured resin layer 13 from the mold 14. A printing plate 50 comprising the substrate 52 is obtained.

  By using the above-described manufacturing process, the mold 14 having a constant recess depth is used, and therefore it is possible to manufacture the printing plate 50 having an uneven pattern with a constant protrusion height.

(Method for forming functional film)
Next, a method for forming a functional film according to the present invention will be described.
FIG. 2 is a process diagram relating to the method for forming a functional film according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 2, the functional film forming method according to the present invention is performed by applying a predetermined functional solution (for example, an organic molecule-containing solution) to the uneven pattern forming surface of the printing plate 50 described above. The pattern surface is brought into contact with the surface to be printed (the main surface of the printing base material 53), and the organic molecular film is transferred onto the surface to be printed, thereby being defined by the liquid repellent portion (liquid repellent region 301). A first step (FIG. 2A) for forming a lyophilic part (lyophilic region 302) of a pattern, and an ink jet method (liquid applying means 400) on the lyophilic part formed on the printing surface A second step (FIG. 2 (b)) for selectively supplying a functional liquid (functional liquid 401) by using energy and applying energy to the functional liquid supplied to the lyophilic part to provide a predetermined pattern of functionality. And a third step (FIG. 2C) for forming a film (functional film 500). And butterflies.
Hereinafter, each process will be described by taking as an example the case of forming a piezoelectric body in a piezoelectric element described later.

(First step)
3 is applied to the surface of the printing substrate 53 as a functional solution to form a liquid repellent region 301 and a lyophilic region 302 having a predetermined pattern (FIG. 2 ( a)).

Here, FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a printing apparatus used in the method for forming a functional film according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 3, the printing apparatus 20 includes a holding unit 22 that holds the printing plate 50 obtained as described above so that the uneven pattern forming surface of the cured resin layer 13 faces downward, and the printing plate 50. A holding mechanism 22 that holds the holding unit 22 directly above the inking unit 23 and the transfer unit 24, an inking unit 23 that attaches a functional solution to the printing plate 50, and a printing base 50 A transfer unit 24 that transfers the functional solution to the material 53, an inking unit 23, and a control device 25 that controls each of the transfer units 24 are provided.

  The inking unit 23 includes a solution applying unit 23a for applying the functional solution to the concave / convex pattern forming surface (the surface facing downward in the drawing) of the printing plate 50 disposed immediately above the inking unit 23; Solution supply means 23 b for supplying a functional solution to the liquid application means 10. Here, the solution applying means 23a can be appropriately selected according to the physical properties and application area of the functional solution to be applied. Specifically, the bar coat, squeegee coat, slit coat, roll coat, blade coat Application means such as dip coating can be used.

  The transfer unit 24 holds a printing substrate 53 at a position facing the concave / convex pattern forming surface (the surface facing downward in the drawing) of the printing plate 50 disposed immediately above the transfer unit 24 (see FIG. And a drive unit 24a for moving the printing substrate 53 provided at the lower portion of the stage to the printing plate 50 side and bringing it into contact with the printing plate 50.

The printing process (first process) using the printing apparatus 20 is performed according to the following procedure under the control of the control apparatus 25.
(S 11) First, the printing plate 50 is set on the holding unit 22, and the printing plate 50 is moved to the inking unit 23 together with the holding unit 22 by the transport mechanism 21.
(S12) The solution applying means 23a adheres the functional solution to the uneven pattern forming surface of the printing plate 51.
(S <b> 13) Next, the printing plate 50 is moved to the transfer unit 24 together with the holding unit 22 by the transport mechanism 21.
(S14) The stage holding the printing substrate 53 is raised by the drive unit 24a, and the convex portion holding the functional solution on the concavo-convex pattern forming surface of the printing plate 50 is brought into contact with the target surface of the printing substrate 53. Thus, the functional solution is transferred to the printing substrate 53 in a predetermined pattern (end of the printing process).

The functional solution used here is an organic molecule-containing solution for imparting liquid repellency or lyophilicity to the printing substrate 53. Among them, a material for imparting liquid repellency to the print substrate _53, C n _{H 2n +} 1 alkyl thiol compound represented by SH or _{C n F 2n + 1 (CH} 2) fluoroalkyl thiols represented by 2 SH A liquid repellent material such as a compound can be used, and the material type or concentration can be appropriately selected according to the desired liquid repellent property or the reactivity of the printing substrate 53 with the material. These compounds are made into a functional solution by dissolving in an organic solvent such as alcohol, acetone, toluene and xylene.

(Second step)
Next, a functional liquid 401 that is a metal organic compound solution containing a precursor of an electro-mechanical conversion film (piezoelectric body) by a sol-gel method is applied to the lyophilic region 302 of the printing substrate 53 using the liquid applying unit 400. (FIG. 2B).

  Here, the sol-gel method is an inorganic oxide that is completed by hydrolyzing and polycondensing a metal organic compound such as a metal alkoxide in a solution system to grow a metal-oxygen-metal bond and finally sintering. This is a manufacturing method. The feature of the sol-gel method is that a film having a uniform large area can be obtained at a low substrate temperature. Furthermore, since it forms into a film from a solution, it is excellent in adhesiveness with a board | substrate. Specifically, a solution containing a metal organic compound is applied onto a target substrate, a thick film made of an inorganic oxide is laminated, and then sintered in the next step (third step).

  Examples of the metal organic compound used include alkoxides such as methoxides, ethoxides, propoxides, and butoxides that constitute inorganic oxides, and acetate compounds. It may be an inorganic salt such as nitrate, oxalate, or perchlorate.

  Moreover, since it is necessary to advance hydrolysis and a polycondensation reaction in order to produce an inorganic oxide from these compounds, it is necessary to add water to the coating solution. The amount of addition varies depending on the system, but if it is too large, the reaction proceeds fast, so that the obtained film quality tends to be non-uniform and the reaction rate is difficult to control. Even if the amount of water added is too small, it is difficult to control the reaction and there is an appropriate amount. In general, the molar amount is preferably from 0.5 equivalent mole to 5 times equivalent mole relative to the number of bonds to be hydrolyzed.

Furthermore, when a hydrolysis catalyst is added, the reaction rate and the reaction form can be controlled. As the catalyst, general acids and bases are used.
As the solvent for addition, a solvent in which the above materials are not precipitated, that is, a solvent having excellent compatibility is desirable.

  The solution concentration depends on the coating method, but in the case of the spin coating method, the solution viscosity may be adjusted to be several cP to several tens of cP. Alkanolamines such as acetylacetone and diethanolamine, chelating agents, and the like may be added.

  Further, as the liquid application unit 400, specifically, an ink jet system that is a liquid application unit that can be applied to a fine region is preferable.

  In this step, the functional liquid 401 applied to the lyophilic region 302 wets and spreads over the lyophilic region 302 due to the surface energy difference on the printing substrate 53 and wets and spreads over the lyophobic region 301. Therefore, high-resolution patterning is possible.

(Third step)
The functional liquid 401 applied to the printing substrate 53 is dried and sintered to form a functional film 500 that is a film-like piezoelectric body (FIG. 2C).

  As described above, according to the method for forming a functional film of the present invention, the functional film having a fine pattern corresponding to the concave / convex pattern (specifically, the convex pattern) of the printing plate 50 on the printing substrate 53. Can be formed on the entire surface of the printing substrate 53 with high accuracy.

(Inkjet head)
Next, the configuration of the ink jet head according to the present invention will be described.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of the ink jet head according to the present invention in cross section. FIG. 5 shows a schematic sectional configuration in the width direction of the inkjet head according to the present invention. Although FIG. 5 shows a single individual liquid chamber 506, the inkjet head is partitioned by a partition wall portion 503a of the liquid chamber substrate 503 as shown in FIG. The chamber 506 is arranged.

  The inkjet head 1 includes a nozzle plate 504 having a nozzle hole 505 that is a droplet discharge hole for discharging ink, a plurality of individual liquid chambers 506, a vibration plate 540 (not shown), and a piezoelectric element 501, and a piezoelectric body 500b. A laminated structure in which three substrates of a liquid chamber substrate 503 having a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) 573 on which a driving circuit for driving the substrate is mounted and a holding substrate 572 provided with a piezoelectric element protection space 574 are stacked. ing.

  In the liquid chamber substrate 503, a diaphragm 540 is formed of a laminated film on a Si substrate. The diaphragm 540 in this embodiment is obtained by depositing a silicon oxide film, a silicon active film, and a silicon oxide film on one side of a Si substrate using an SOI substrate. In addition, a plurality of piezoelectric elements 501 are provided thereon, and further, individual liquid chambers 506 corresponding to the plurality of piezoelectric elements 501 and fluid resistance units (supply paths) for supplying liquid to the individual liquid chambers 506, respectively. 532 and a common liquid chamber 533 are formed.

  The nozzle plate 504 is a nickel substrate formed to a thickness of 20 μm using, for example, a nickel high-speed electroforming method, and nozzle holes provided so as to communicate with the surface portions of the liquid chamber substrate 503 corresponding to the individual liquid chambers 506, respectively. 505.

  The holding substrate 572 is a substrate on which a piezoelectric element protection space 574 for preventing the protection and displacement of the piezoelectric element 501 and an ink supply unit 533a for supplying ink as droplets to the common liquid chamber 533 from the outside are formed. .

  The individual liquid chamber 506 is a space surrounded by the vibration plate 540, the wall surface (partition wall portion 503a) of the liquid chamber substrate 503, and the nozzle plate 504 provided with the nozzle holes 505.

  A piezoelectric element 501 is formed on the vibration plate 540 on the side opposite to the individual liquid chamber 506 by laminating the lower electrode 500a, the piezoelectric body 500b, and the upper electrode 500c. Further, a plate surface facing the vibration plate 540 of the individual liquid chamber 506 is a nozzle plate 504.

In the ink jet head 1 configured as described above, in a state where each individual liquid chamber 506 is filled with a liquid, for example, a recording liquid (ink), a recording liquid is generated by an oscillation circuit based on image data from a control unit (not shown). A pulse voltage of 20V is applied to the upper electrode 500c corresponding to the nozzle hole 505 to which the discharge is desired. By applying this voltage pulse, the piezoelectric body 500b is flexed so that the diaphragm 540 becomes convex toward the individual liquid chamber 506 side by contracting in parallel with the diaphragm 540 due to the electrostrictive effect. It will be. As a result, the pressure in the individual liquid chamber 506 increases rapidly, and the recording liquid is ejected from the nozzle hole 505 communicating with the individual liquid chamber 506. Next, since the contracted piezoelectric body 500b returns to the original position after the pulse voltage is applied, the deflected diaphragm 540 returns to the original position, so that the individual liquid chamber 506 is more negative than the common liquid chamber 533. The recording liquid is supplied from the common liquid chamber 533 through the fluid resistance portion 532 to the individual liquid chamber 506.
By repeating the above operation control, the inkjet head 1 can continuously discharge droplets, and an image can be formed on a recording medium (paper) disposed facing the inkjet head 1.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the inkjet head 1 includes a vibration plate 540 formed on a Si substrate, and a lower electrode 500a, a piezoelectric body 500b, and an upper electrode 500c stacked on the vibration plate 540 in this order. A side shooter type that discharges droplets from nozzle holes 505 that are droplet discharge holes provided on the substrate surface portion of the nozzle plate 504 using a piezoelectric actuator including the piezoelectric elements 501 and the vibration plate 540. Is.

  Here, the nozzle plate 504 is configured by forming nozzle holes 505 in a metal or an inorganic material such as SUS, Ni, Si, or a resin material such as PI (polyimide), and is not shown in the figure. It is joined to the liquid chamber substrate 503 by other joining means.

  The liquid chamber substrate 503 is made of a Si substrate, which is an easily processable material having the required mechanical strength and chemical resistance. In the case of using a Si substrate, a so-called semiconductor process can be used for processing by photolithography and etching, so that the liquid chamber arrangement can be highly integrated.

The diaphragm 540 needs to be made of a material that is elastically deformed within the range of displacement by the piezoelectric element 501. As a material, a thin film of an inorganic material or an organic material is used, but it is preferable to use an inorganic material in consideration of adhesion with an electrode. As the inorganic material, any material such as a metal, an alloy, a semiconductor, or a dielectric can be used. Material can be selected as the best from the machining process, in the case of using Si in the liquid chamber substrate _{503, SiO 2, Si 3 N} 4, it is preferable to use a polycrystalline Si. In general, a Si thermal oxide film is often used. Moreover, by using these laminated films, it is possible to adopt a structure that cancels out residual stress. In addition, dielectric materials such as SiO ₂ and Si ₃ N ₄ are chemically stable and can prevent the vibration plate 540 from being broken due to corrosion caused by ink even when it comes into contact with the ejected ink. Furthermore, since these thin film deposition techniques are established in the semiconductor process, a stable diaphragm 540 can be obtained.

The thickness of the diaphragm 540 is preferably optimized from the rigidity of the material and the formation method, but when the above-described inorganic material (SiO ₂ , Si ₃ N ₄ ) is used, the thickness may be in the range of 1 to 5 μm. preferable. For example, first, an insulator to be a vibration plate 540 is formed on a Si substrate, and then a cavity to be a liquid chamber such as the individual liquid chamber 506 is formed by etching and then polished to a required thickness. In the etching, the insulating layer becomes a stop layer.

  The lower electrode 500a is a common electrode in the plurality of piezoelectric elements 501, and is connected to a common electrode wiring (not shown).

The lower electrode 500a is, for example, a (111) crystal-oriented thin film for controlling the orientation of the piezoelectric body 500b, and any conductive material can be used as the material constituting the lower electrode 500a. As the conductive material, a metal, an alloy, a conductive compound, or the like can be used. However, it is preferable to use an electrode material having high heat resistance by a film formation method of the piezoelectric body 500b. Usually, the piezoelectric body 500b needs to be crystallized after film formation. When a general piezoelectric material, lead zirconate titanate (PZT), is used, the crystallization process temperature is 500 ° C. to 800 ° C. Is common. Therefore, the material used for the piezoelectric element needs to be a highly stable material that has a high melting point and does not form a compound with the adjacent diaphragm 540 or the piezoelectric material at a high temperature. As these materials, it is preferable to use a metal having low reactivity and high melting point such as Pt, Ir, Pd, Au, or an alloy thereof. Of these, lead zirconate titanate (PZT), which is a typical material constituting the piezoelectric body 500b, and Pt, which is a noble metal that has a lattice constant close to that of oxidation, are most frequently used. Further, a compound conductive material having high temperature stability may be used. Any compound oxide can be used as these compound conductive materials. For _{example, IrO 2, RuO 2, SrO} , SrRuO 3, CaRuO 3, BaRuO 3, and the like _{(Sr x Ca 1-x)} a platinum group such as RuO ₃ metal-containing conductive oxide or LaNiO _3.

  The film thickness of the lower electrode 500a can be arbitrarily set depending on the electric resistance required for the electrode, but is preferably in the range of 100 nm to 1 μm.

As a material constituting the piezoelectric body 500b, a composite oxide having a perovskite crystal structure and represented by the chemical formula ABO ₃ can be used. Here, the elements at the A site are Pb, Ba, Nb, La, Li, Sr, Bi, Na, K, and the like. In addition, elements of the B site include Cd, Fe, Ti, Ta, Mg, Mo, Ni, Nb, Zr, Zn, W, and Yb. Among these, lead (Pb) is often used for A, and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) in which a mixture of zirconium (Zr) and titanium (Ti) is applied to B is often used. Since this material is excellent in temperature characteristics and piezoelectric characteristics, a highly reliable and highly stable piezoelectric element 501 can be obtained. In addition to PZT, barium titanate (BaTiO ₃ ) can be used as an environmental advantage in that lead is not used, the amount of displacement is large, the raw material is inexpensive, and there are many records of use.

  The film thickness of the piezoelectric body 500b can be set to an optimum value depending on desired characteristics, but is preferably in the range of 0.1 μm to 5 μm.

  Furthermore, the piezoelectric body 500b needs to be formed individually for each individual liquid chamber 506, and the width of the piezoelectric body needs to be narrower than the width of the individual liquid chamber. Thereby, a portion where the film of the highly rigid piezoelectric body 500b is not formed is formed on the individual liquid chamber 506, and a region where the vibration is displaced can be secured. Therefore, patterning of the piezoelectric body 500b described later (separation for each individual liquid chamber 506) is important.

  The upper electrode 500c is formed above the piezoelectric body 500b formed for each individual liquid chamber 506. The upper electrode 500c is an individual electrode provided for each of the plurality of piezoelectric elements 501, and is connected to individual electrode wiring (not shown). The individual electrode wiring is individually connected to the upper electrode 500c of each of the plurality of piezoelectric elements 501, and a driving signal is input to each piezoelectric element 501 from a driving signal input unit (not shown) through the individual electrode wiring.

  As a material constituting the upper electrode 500c, any of the same material group as that of the lower electrode 500a can be used. That is, any conductive material can be used as the material of the upper electrode 500c. Examples of the conductive material include metals, alloys, conductive compounds, and the like, but it is preferable to use metals or alloys. At that time, it is necessary to select a material in consideration of adhesion to the piezoelectric body 500b. In addition, a material that reacts and interdiffuses with a material such as Pb contained in the piezoelectric material to form an alloy is not preferable. Furthermore, a material that reacts with oxygen or the like contained in the piezoelectric material is also not preferable. Therefore, it is preferable to use a stable material with low reactivity. Examples of these materials include Au, Pt, Ir, Pd, alloys thereof, and solid solutions.

  The width of the upper electrode 500c is preferably narrower than the width of the piezoelectric body 500b. When the upper electrode 500c is formed up to the end of the piezoelectric body 500b, electric field concentration at the end of the piezoelectric body 500b may lead to a discharge phenomenon between the lower electrode 500a and the upper electrode 500c, and the reliability of the piezoelectric element 2 is remarkably increased. There is a possibility of damage.

  Here, the inkjet head 1 of the present invention is characterized in that at least one of the lower electrode 500a, the piezoelectric body 500b, and the upper electrode 500c is formed by the functional film forming method of the present invention described above. It is.

The case where all of the lower electrode 500a, the piezoelectric body 500b, and the upper electrode 500c are formed by the functional film forming method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
(S21) First, in the inking part 23 of the printing apparatus 20, the uneven | corrugated pattern formation surface of the printing plate 50 produced in order to form the organic molecule containing solution 608 which is a functional solution by the solution application means 23a in order to form the lower electrode 500a. Apply to.
(S22) Next, the concavo-convex pattern forming surface of the printing plate 50 on which the organic molecule-containing solution 608 is applied in the transfer unit 24 of the printing apparatus 20, and the vibration plate 540 which is a printing substrate (the liquid chamber substrate 503 and the like are omitted) Are kept in contact with each other (FIG. 6A1). Thereby, the organic molecule 300 and the vibration plate 540 are chemically bonded to the convex portions of the concave / convex pattern of the printing plate 50 to form a pattern including a desired liquid-repellent region 301a and lyophilic region 302a (FIG. 6). (A2)).
(S23) Next, the electrode material-containing solution 401a is selectively applied to the lyophilic region 302a by using a liquid application unit 400a such as a droplet discharge head (FIG. 6 (A3)). The electrode material-containing solution 401a applied to the lyophilic region 302a spreads wet with respect to the lyophilic region 302a due to the surface energy difference on the vibration plate 540, and the wet spread of the liquid repellent region 301a is suppressed. Therefore, high resolution patterning can be performed. Here, as the electrode material-containing solution 401a, a solution in which platinum fine particles are dispersed in an ethanol solvent is used. However, platinum-based metal fine particles such as palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, and iridium are placed in an organic solvent such as alcohol. A dispersed fine metal particle dispersion or a so-called sol-gel solution in which a metal organic compound such as a metal alkoxide is dissolved and dispersed in a solvent by a sol-gel method may be used.
(S24) Next, energy is applied to the electrode material-containing solution 401a on the diaphragm 540 using the energy applying means 700 to form the lower electrode 500a (FIG. 6 (A4)). Here, as the energy applying means 700, a hot plate or an oven is used, but a heating means such as a halogen lamp, a xenon lamp or an infrared lamp, or a laser irradiation means such as a YAG laser, a CO ₂ laser or an Ar laser is used. May be.
As described above, the steps S21 to S24 are performed a plurality of times until the film of the lower electrode 500a has a desired film thickness.

(S31) Next, in the inking part 23 of the printing apparatus 20, the uneven | corrugated pattern formation of the printing plate 50 produced in order to form the organic body containing solution 608 which is a functional solution by the solution application means 23a in order to form the piezoelectric body 500b. Apply to the surface.
(S32) Next, the concave / convex pattern forming surface of the printing plate 50 coated with the organic molecule-containing solution 608 in the transfer unit 24 of the printing apparatus 20 and the lower electrode 500a of the vibration plate 540 (the liquid chamber substrate 503 and the like are omitted) are formed. The contact state is maintained by contacting the surface (FIG. 6 (B1)). Thereby, in the convex part of the concave / convex pattern of the printing plate 50, the organic molecules 300 are chemically bonded to the outer edge part on the vibration plate 540 and the lower electrode 500 a, so that the desired liquid repellent region 301 b and the lyophilic region 302 b are removed. A pattern is formed (FIG. 6B2).
(S33) Next, the piezoelectric precursor solution 401b is selectively applied to the lyophilic region 302b (lower electrode 500a) using the liquid applying means 400b such as a droplet discharge head (FIG. 6 (B3)). . Here, as the piezoelectric precursor solution 401b, a piezoelectric material formed by a sol-gel method, specifically, lead acetate, isopropoxide zirconium and isopropoxide titanium are used as starting materials, and methoxyethanol is used as a common solvent. A dissolved lead zirconate titanate (PZT) -based material is used.
(S34) Next, energy is applied to the piezoelectric precursor solution 401b on the lower electrode 500a using the energy applying means 700 to form the piezoelectric body 500b (FIG. 6 (B4)).
As described above, the steps S31 to S34 are performed a plurality of times until the thin film of the piezoelectric body 500b has a desired thickness.

(S41) Next, in the inking part 23 of the printing apparatus 20, the uneven | corrugated pattern formation of the printing plate 50 produced in order to form the organic molecule containing solution 608 which is a functional solution by the solution application means 23a in order to form the upper electrode 500c. Apply to the surface.
(S42) Next, the concave / convex pattern forming surface of the printing plate 50 to which the organic molecule-containing solution 608 is applied in the transfer unit 24 of the printing apparatus 20, the lower electrode 500a of the vibration plate 540 (the liquid chamber substrate 503 and the like are omitted), and The contact state is maintained by contacting the surface on which the piezoelectric body 500b is formed (FIG. 6 (C1)). As a result, the organic molecule 300, the diaphragm 540, the outer edge on the lower electrode 500a, and the outer edge on the piezoelectric body 500b are chemically bonded to the desired liquid-repellent region at the protrusions of the uneven pattern of the printing plate 50. A pattern including 301c and the lyophilic region 302c is formed (FIG. 6 (C2)).
(S43) Next, the electrode material-containing solution 401c is selectively applied to the lyophilic region 302c (piezoelectric body 500b) using the liquid applying means 400c such as a droplet discharge head (FIG. 6 (C3)). Here, the electrode material-containing solution 401c and the electrode material-containing solution 401a described above are the same material.
(S44) Next, energy is applied to the electrode material-containing solution 401c on the piezoelectric body 500b using the energy applying means 700 to form the upper electrode 500c (FIG. 6 (C4)).
As described above, the processes of steps S41 to S44 are performed a plurality of times until the film of the upper electrode 500c has a desired film thickness.

  As described above, the lower electrode 500a, the piezoelectric body 500b, and the upper electrode are formed on the diaphragm 540 by the steps S21 to S24, S31 to S34, and S41 to S44 using the functional film forming method of the present invention. The piezoelectric element 501 made of 500c can be formed with high accuracy, and the inkjet head 1 having stable ejection performance can be obtained.

Incidentally, a liquid tank for supplying a liquid such as ink to the above-described ink jet head of the present invention may be integrated to form a liquid cartridge.
FIG. 7 shows an external view of an ink cartridge that is the liquid cartridge. The ink cartridge 80 is obtained by integrating the ink jet head 1 according to the present invention having the nozzle hole 505 and the like, and an ink tank 82 that is a liquid tank for supplying ink to the ink jet head 1. Thus, in the case of the ink jet head 1 in which the ink tank 82 is integrated, the yield and reliability of the ink cartridge 80 can be improved by increasing the accuracy, density, and reliability of the actuator unit. The cost of the ink cartridge 80 can be reduced.

Next, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described.
An image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus that forms an image by ejecting liquid droplets, and includes a liquid cartridge that is the above-described inkjet head of the present invention or the integrated inkjet head unit of FIG. It is characterized by that.
Here, using FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, an ink jet recording apparatus which is an image forming apparatus equipped with the ink jet head 1 of the present invention will be described as an example. 8 is an explanatory perspective view of the recording apparatus, and FIG. 9 is an explanatory side view of a mechanism portion of the recording apparatus.

  The ink jet recording apparatus includes a carriage 98 movable in the main scanning direction inside the recording apparatus main body, the ink jet head (recording head) 1 of the present invention mounted on the carriage 98, an ink cartridge 99 for supplying ink to the ink jet head 1, and the like. A paper feed cassette (or a paper feed tray) 93 on which a large number of sheets 92 can be stacked from the front side is detachably attached to the lower part of the apparatus main body. can do. Further, it has a manual feed tray 94 that is opened to manually feed the paper 92, takes in the paper 92 fed from the paper feed cassette 93 or the manual feed tray 94, and records a required image by the printing mechanism 91. Thereafter, the paper is discharged to a paper discharge tray 95 mounted on the rear side.

  The printing mechanism 91 holds a main guide rod 96, a sub guide rod 97, and a carriage 98, which are guide members horizontally mounted on left and right side plates (not shown), so as to be slidable in the main scanning direction. (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (Bk) ink jet heads 1 that eject ink droplets of each color are arranged in a direction intersecting the main scanning direction with a plurality of ink ejection openings (nozzles), The ink droplet is ejected in the downward direction. In addition, each ink cartridge 99 for supplying ink of each color to the inkjet head 1 is replaceably mounted on the carriage 98.

  The ink cartridge 99 is provided with an air outlet communicating with the atmosphere at the upper side, and a supply port for supplying ink to the inkjet head 1 at the lower side, and has a porous body filled with ink inside. The ink supplied to the inkjet head 1 is maintained at a slight negative pressure by the capillary force of the body. Moreover, although the inkjet head 1 of each color is used as the inkjet head 1, it may be a single liquid discharge head having nozzles that eject ink droplets of each color.

  Here, the carriage 98 is slidably fitted to the main guide rod 96 on the rear side (sheet conveyance downstream side), and the front side (sheet conveyance upstream side) is slidably mounted on the sub guide rod 97. Yes. In order to move and scan the carriage 98 in the main scanning direction, a timing belt 104 is stretched between the driving pulley 102 and the driven pulley 103 that are rotationally driven by the main scanning motor 101, and the timing belt 104 is moved to the carriage 98. The carriage 98 is reciprocally driven by forward and reverse rotations of the main scanning motor 101.

  On the other hand, in order to convey the paper 92 set in the paper feed cassette 93 downward to the ink jet head 1, the paper feed roller 105 and the friction pad 106 for separating and feeding the paper 92 from the paper feed cassette 93 and the paper 92 are guided. A guide member 107 for conveying, a conveying roller 108 for reversing and conveying the fed paper 92, a conveying roller 109 pressed against the peripheral surface of the conveying roller 108, and a feeding angle of the sheet 92 from the conveying roller 108 are defined. A tip roller 110. The conveyance roller 108 is rotationally driven by a sub-scanning motor through a gear train.

  In addition, a printing receiving member 111 that is a sheet guide member is provided to guide the sheet 92 fed from the transport roller 108 corresponding to the moving range of the carriage 98 in the main scanning direction on the lower side of the inkjet head 1. A conveyance roller 112 and a spur 113 that are rotationally driven to send the paper 92 in the paper discharge direction are provided on the downstream side of the printing receiving member 111 in the paper conveyance direction, and the paper 92 is further discharged to the paper discharge tray 95. A roller 114, a spur 115, and guide members 116 and 117 that form a paper discharge path are disposed.

  During recording by the inkjet recording apparatus 90, the inkjet head 1 is driven according to the image signal while moving the carriage 98, thereby ejecting ink onto the stopped paper 92 to record one line, and then After the sheet 92 is conveyed by a predetermined amount, the next line is recorded. Upon receiving a recording end signal or a signal that the trailing edge of the paper 92 reaches the recording area, the recording operation is terminated and the paper 92 is discharged.

  Further, a recovery device 118 for recovering the ejection failure of the inkjet head 1 is disposed at a position outside the recording area on the right end side in the moving direction of the carriage 98. The recovery device 118 includes a cap unit, a suction unit, and a cleaning unit. During printing standby, the carriage 98 is moved to the recovery device 118 side, and the inkjet head 1 is capped by the cap means to keep the discharge port portion in a wet state, thereby preventing discharge failure due to ink drying. Further, by ejecting ink that is not related to recording during recording or the like, the ink viscosity of all the ejection ports is made constant and a stable ejection state is maintained.

  In addition, when a discharge failure occurs, the discharge outlet (nozzle) of the inkjet head 1 is sealed with the cap means, and bubbles with the ink are sucked out from the discharge port by the suction means through the tube and attached to the discharge port surface. The discharged ink, dust, etc. are removed by the cleaning means, and the ejection failure is recovered. Further, the sucked ink is discharged to a waste ink reservoir (not shown) installed at the lower part of the main body and absorbed and held by an ink absorber inside the waste ink reservoir.

  As described above, since the inkjet head 1 of the present invention is mounted in the inkjet recording apparatus 90, there is no ink droplet ejection failure due to diaphragm drive failure, stable ink ejection characteristics are obtained, and image quality is improved. . Although the case where the inkjet head 1 is used in the inkjet recording apparatus 90 has been described here, the inkjet head 1 may be applied to an apparatus that ejects droplets other than ink, for example, a liquid resist for patterning.

Embodiments relating to the method for producing a mold and a printing plate according to the present invention will be described below.
(1) Mold 14
The mold 14 of the present invention was produced by the following procedure.
(S51a) Etching mask formation (FIG. 1 (1a))
An etching mask 17 having openings of a predetermined pattern was formed by applying, baking and exposing a photoresist on the surface of an SOI substrate 14k having an outer diameter of 150 mm, an active layer 14a thickness of 50 μm, and a total thickness of 625 μm.
(S51b) Etching (FIG. 1 (1b))
Next, the substrate 14k was dry-etched through the opening of the etching mask 17, thereby forming an uneven pattern corresponding to the pattern of the opening of the etching mask 17 on the surface of the active layer 14a.
(S51c) Etching mask removal (FIG. 1 (1c))
After forming a concavo-convex pattern on the active layer 14a, the etching mask 17 made of a photoresist was peeled off to obtain a molding die 14.
As a comparative example, a mold was produced using a silicon substrate under the same conditions as in the example.
(2) Printing plate 50
A printing plate 50 of the present invention was produced by the following procedure.
(S52a) Liquid resin application process (FIG. 1 (2a))
In this example, the weight ratio of the main agent and the curing agent of the two-component mixed PDMS resin (standard curing condition: 70 ° C. × 60 minutes + 150 ° C. × 30 minutes) composed of the main agent and the curing agent is 10: 1. After weighing in such a manner, an uncured PDMS resin (liquid resin 13a) is prepared by mixing with a stirrer (not shown) having a planetary rotation mechanism, and a molding die provided on the upper portion of the molding die 14 PDMS resin was applied in a layered manner so as to fill the entire region of the irregularities on the surface of the mold 14 by squeegee coating using the support member 12.
(S52b) Pressurization process (FIG. 1 (2b))
Next, a glass substrate 52 made of borosilicate glass was bonded after curing from above the uncured liquid resin 13a. The glass substrate 52 is subjected to surface modification by irradiating with UV light in advance.
Next, the mold 14 and the glass substrate 52 were pressurized with a predetermined pressure through the liquid resin 13a using a pressure heating device (not shown).
(S52c) Curing step (FIG. 1 (2c))
Subsequently, by using the pressure heating device, the mold 14 and the glass substrate 52 are heated through the liquid resin 13a and heated at 70 ° C. for 60 minutes and 150 ° C. for 30 minutes. The liquid resin 13a was completely cured to obtain a cured resin layer 13 made of PDMS resin.
(S52d) Mold release step (FIG. 1 (2d))
After gradually cooling the mold 14, the glass substrate 52, and the cured resin layer 13, the cured resin layer 13 having a concavo-convex pattern on the surface and the glass are released by releasing the completely cured cured resin layer 13 from the mold 14. An example sample of the printing plate 50 comprising the substrate 52 was obtained.
Moreover, the comparative example sample of the printing plate was produced on the same conditions as an Example using the shaping | molding die of a comparative example.

(3) Evaluation result When the uneven | corrugated pattern height of the Example sample of the printing plate 50 produced by the above manufacturing process steps S52a-S52d was measured using the three-dimensional laser displacement meter, it was 50.0 ± 0.2 micrometer ( It was confirmed that σ).
On the other hand, the concavo-convex pattern height of a printing plate (comparative sample) produced using a mold formed by dry etching a silicon substrate is lower for a pattern with a narrow etching width of the mold and wider for an etching width. As the pattern becomes higher, variations occur, resulting in poor dimensional accuracy of 50.0 ± 5.0 μm.

  Although the present invention has been described with the embodiments shown in the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings, and other embodiments, additions, modifications, deletions, etc. Can be changed within the range that can be conceived, and any embodiment is included in the scope of the present invention as long as the effects and advantages of the present invention are exhibited.

  Examples of utilization of the present invention include a MEMS device using a piezoelectric element and a microactuator, for example, an optical device such as a projector equipped with a micromirror, a micropump for supplying a fluid to a microchannel, and the like.

1 inkjet head 12 mold support members 13 cured resin layer 13a liquid resin 14 mold 14a active layer 14b SiO ₂ box layer 14c Si substrate 14k substrate (SOI substrate)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 17 Etching mask 20 Printing apparatus 21 Conveyance mechanism 22 Holding means 23 Inking part 23a Solution application means 23b Solution supply means 24 Transfer part 24a Drive part 25 Control apparatus 50 Printing plate 52 Glass substrate 53 Printing base material 80,99 Ink cartridge 82 Ink tank 90 Inkjet recording device 91 Printing mechanism section 92 Paper 93 Paper feed cassette 94 Manual feed tray 95 Paper discharge tray 96 Main guide rod 97 Subordinate guide rod 98 Carriage 101 Main scanning motor 102 Drive pulley 103 Driven pulley 104 Timing belt 105 Paper feed roller 106 Friction pads 107, 116, 117 Guide members 108 Conveying rollers 109, 112 Conveying rollers 110 Tip rollers 111 Printing receiving members 113, 115 Spurs 114 Discharging rollers 18 recovery device 300 organic molecule 301, 301a, 301b, 301c lyophobic region 302, 302a, 302b, 302c lyophilic region 400, 400a, 400b, 400c liquid application means 401 functional liquid 401a, 401c electrode material-containing solution 401b piezoelectric Body precursor solution 500 functional film 500a lower electrode 500b piezoelectric body 500c upper electrode 501 piezoelectric element 503 liquid chamber substrate 503a partition wall portion 504 nozzle plate (head substrate surface)
505 Nozzle hole 506 Individual liquid chamber 532 Fluid resistance portion 533 Common liquid chamber 533a Ink supply portion 540 Vibration plate 572 Holding substrate 573 Flexible printed circuit board (FPC)
574 Piezoelectric element protection space 700 Energy applying means

JP2011-000714A JP 2005-72473 A JP 2009-28947 A

Claims (10)

A mold having a concavo-convex pattern on the surface used for producing a printing plate for microcontact printing,
A molding die, wherein the concave-convex pattern is formed by a photolithography technique on a silicon active layer having a predetermined thickness of an SOI substrate having a SiO ₂ layer as a box layer. A method for producing a printing plate used for microcontact printing,
Applying a liquid resin to the concavo-convex pattern forming surface of the mold according to claim 1;
A step of pressing the support substrate against the mold and sandwiching the liquid resin layer applied to the concave / convex pattern surface of the mold, and curing the liquid resin by heating in that state to form a cured resin layer When,
A method for producing a printing plate, comprising: a step of peeling the molding die from the cured resin layer to obtain a printing plate comprising the cured resin layer to which the concavo-convex pattern is transferred and the support substrate. .   The method for producing a printing plate according to claim 2, wherein the support substrate has substantially the same thermal expansion coefficient as the mold.   The method for producing a printing plate according to claim 2, wherein the support substrate is made of borosilicate glass or alumina silicate glass.   The method for producing a printing plate according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the liquid resin is any one of a polydimethylsiloxane resin, a polymethylmethacrylate resin, and a polyurethane resin.   The method for producing a printing plate according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein a surface of the support substrate in contact with the liquid resin layer is surface-modified.   A printing plate produced by the method for producing a printing plate according to claim 2. An organic molecule-containing solution is applied to the concavo-convex pattern forming surface of the printing plate according to claim 7, the concavo-convex pattern surface is brought into contact with the printing surface, and the organic molecular film is transferred onto the printing surface. A first step of forming a lyophilic portion having a predetermined pattern divided by the liquid repellent portion;
A second step of selectively supplying a functional liquid to the lyophilic part formed on the printing surface using an inkjet method;
And a third step of forming a functional film having a predetermined pattern by applying energy to the functional liquid supplied to the lyophilic portion. A plurality of individual liquid chambers that are partitioned by a partition wall, each having a droplet discharge hole, and a diaphragm provided on a surface different from the plate surface of the plurality of individual liquid chambers on which the droplet discharge hole is provided; A plurality of individual liquid chambers provided on the diaphragm corresponding to each of the plurality of individual liquid chambers, wherein a lower electrode serving as a common electrode, a piezoelectric body, and an upper electrode serving as an individual electrode are stacked in that order from the diaphragm side. In an inkjet head comprising: a piezoelectric element; a common electrode wiring connected to the lower electrode; and an individual electrode wiring that is individually connected to an upper electrode of each of the plurality of piezoelectric elements and receives a driving signal.
An ink jet head, wherein at least one of the lower electrode, the piezoelectric body, and the upper electrode is formed by the functional film forming method according to claim 8.   An inkjet recording apparatus comprising the inkjet head according to claim 9.

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